This was news to me and thought some of you might like it.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-luger15-2010mar15,0,7573316.story

Edge

03-15-2010, 2:27 PM

I saw a History Channel program on the history of the Luger and they told the story of the three .45 Luger's made for US Army testing. I didn't know that only two of them survived though.

Man, what a deal. Buy for $150, sell for $1,000,000!

ZirconJohn

03-15-2010, 2:38 PM

Thank you for posting that story... fantastic, absolutely fantastic...!

I would give up both my arms; begging to keep only the right arm, just so I could fire it one time...!

IrishPirate

03-15-2010, 2:45 PM

beautiful gun!!!

9mmepiphany

03-15-2010, 3:19 PM

i'm surprised, i would have thought it would have brought more...buyers of such things aren't affected by the downturn in the economy as others are.

when you have 40mil, losing half of what you have still leaves you with 20mil

Milsurp Collector

03-15-2010, 4:10 PM

Click link to see a high-resolution picture --> http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/images/inventory/20/z/%5C37739_01.jpg After it is displayed click the picture to zoom in.

More pictures at http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/Auctions/AuctionLot.aspx?LotID=34167

ZirconJohn

03-15-2010, 7:51 PM

OMG... is that a chamber 'loaded' indicator (rhetorical) on a 1907 pistol...?:sarcasm:

ScottB

03-15-2010, 10:00 PM

i'm surprised, i would have thought it would have brought more...buyers of such things aren't affected by the downturn in the economy as others are.

Its not the buyers who set prices in down markets. Its the sellers.

johnthomas

03-16-2010, 1:52 AM

Click link to see a high-resolution picture --> http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/images/inventory/20/z/%5C37739_01.jpg After it is displayed click the picture to zoom in.

More pictures at http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/Auctions/AuctionLot.aspx?LotID=34167

Great pictures, one question with the display. Why an American uniform? Looked like a dough boy uniform, ww1.

9mmepiphany

03-16-2010, 10:59 AM

Why an American uniform? Looked like a dough boy uniform, ww1
that gun was made for the US Army trials

Milsurp Collector

03-16-2010, 11:02 AM

Great pictures, one question with the display. Why an American uniform? Looked like a dough boy uniform, ww1.

Experience in the Philippines in the early 20th century showed that the .38 Long Colt had inadequate stopping power, so in 1910 the Army Ordnance Dept. held trials for a replacement. Luger submitted their new pistol to become the new American side arm, chambered in .45 cal for the trial, but it had some problems with the American ammo so they applied to try again with German-made .45 ammo. But Luger was already swamped with orders for their pistol in 9mm, so they pulled out, along with Savage, leaving only Colt with their John Browning-designed pistol as the winner. The Colt was adopted the next year as the Model of 1911.

mofugly13

03-16-2010, 5:48 PM

Mike Krause of Krausewerk Collectibles was making replicas of these, as well as a Baby Luger. G&A had articles about both of them.

johnthomas

03-17-2010, 1:36 AM

Experience in the Philippines in the early 20th century showed that the .38 Long Colt had inadequate stopping power, so in 1910 the Army Ordnance Dept. held trials for a replacement. Luger submitted their new pistol to become the new American side arm, chambered in .45 cal for the trial, but it had some problems with the American ammo so they applied to try again with German-made .45 ammo. But Luger was already swamped with orders for their pistol in 9mm, so they pulled out, along with Savage, leaving only Colt with their John Browning-designed pistol as the winner. The Colt was adopted the next year as the Model of 1911.

Thank you for the history lesson. It is great we can learn on these threads. I don't have a luger or ever shot one, how do they stand up next to the 1911? It's obvious they started building them before the 1911, when did production stop? Or are they still being built?

Full Clip

03-17-2010, 1:47 AM

This must be the first time that a rep from Gun World has ever been involved in a sale that wasn't well over the expected price.

pyromensch

12-04-2010, 8:09 PM

there was a gunsmith, back in the 80's that lived in, if i remember right, lincoln, ca. that took "down and out" lugers, and built 45acp models out of them. i don't know how many. i think he also constructed, out of parts, a, or several artillery models, w/stocks

tboyer

12-04-2010, 10:22 PM

there was a gunsmith, back in the 80's that lived in, if i remember right, lincoln, ca. that took "down and out" lugers, and built 45acp models out of them. i don't know how many. i think he also constructed, out of parts, a, or several artillery models, w/stocks

That smiths name is
John Martz
8060 lakeview Ln
Lincoln, CA 95648
916-645-2250

I've dealt with Martz before, the last was in the early 90's
Martz was willing to try anything.
He is a good guy, I don't know if he is still working though.

9mmepiphany

12-04-2010, 10:32 PM

I first met him at a gunshow at CalExpo and he was a very nice guy indeed

His Baby and .45 ACP Lugers were very impressive. His bare metal finishes were beautiful, but required a lot of care.

I thought I remembered that he had passed on

50 Freak

12-05-2010, 9:17 AM

I got to handle one of Mike Krause's 45 Lugers. That thing was a masterpiece in machining. But what do you expect for a handmade gun.

smle-man

12-05-2010, 10:59 AM

Thank you for the history lesson. It is great we can learn on these threads. I don't have a luger or ever shot one, how do they stand up next to the 1911? It's obvious they started building them before the 1911, when did production stop? Or are they still being built?

The Parabellum is ammunition sensitive but very accurate. I have the 70's Mauser Swiss pattern version. Really fun to shoot. Several U.S. lawmen used early versions of the Luger prior to WW1 when it was quite the novetly piece. Probably like carrying a Desert Eagle or such these days. There were Parabellums (Luger) made into the early 90s out of stainless steel and sold by Mitchell and Stoeger. German military production stopped about 1942.

TRAP55

12-05-2010, 12:52 PM

Experience in the Philippines in the early 20th century showed that the .38 Long Colt had inadequate stopping power, so in 1910 the Army Ordnance Dept. held trials for a replacement. Luger submitted their new pistol to become the new American side arm, chambered in .45 cal for the trial, but it had some problems with the American ammo so they applied to try again with German-made .45 ammo. But Luger was already swamped with orders for their pistol in 9mm, so they pulled out, along with Savage, leaving only Colt with their John Browning-designed pistol as the winner. The Colt was adopted the next year as the Model of 1911.
Two other little known facts from those trials:
Bergmann-Bayard pistols in .45 ACP came very close to beating the 1911 design.
And the now famous .45acp round, came about at the last minute from a prototype .41 cal.

smle-man

12-05-2010, 5:58 PM

There was a .45 ACP 200 gr FMJ bullet used in the Colt M1905 so it wasn't really last minute at all.

beemaze

12-05-2010, 7:39 PM

Interesting to note that this million dollar luger went for less than $500k. Wish I had that kind of coin to spend on guns, or in this case one gun :eek:

Click link to see a high-resolution picture --> http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/images/inventory/20/z/%5C37739_01.jpg After it is displayed click the picture to zoom in.

More pictures at http://www.gregmartinauctions.com/Auctions/AuctionLot.aspx?LotID=34167

TRAP55

12-05-2010, 8:53 PM

There was a .45 ACP 200 gr FMJ bullet used in the Colt M1905 so it wasn't really last minute at all.
It was last minute for Mr. Browning. The first trials were set to start in Sept of 1906. His pistol was designed for the .38 cal, and had been changed to use a proprietary .41 cal cartridge. The government informed Colt, who had purchased the patent rights, they wanted a .45 cal.
Browning had a few short months to change the pistol to use this new .45 cal. That is how it came to be named the Model of 1905.
The ammunition supplied by the government had problems, thus delaying the first trials to start in 1907.
The trials ended in March of 1911, and the pistol was adopted as the United States Pistol, Caliber .45, Model 1911.